How The Sensay Chatbot Is Providing Actual Human Connection

Writing on Consumer Tech & Social Media with a satirical, cynical edge

Image: Sensay

Chatbots have not seen the success in non-spamming application that we had once hoped. Microsoft's Tay experiment was a massive failure thanks to human interference. Microsoft is trying again with Zo, focusing on the future of chatbots being your best friend. That future is fluid interaction with a programmable and learning artificial intelligence without the assistance of humans. Conversely, In the case of Sensay, the future of bots is one that is just as human as a bot could possibly be. That is, totally human.

Chatbots have a long and storied history culminating with Apple's Siri, Google Home and Amazon Alexa -- machines that follow commands and slowly build conversational application. However, these bots are simply task bots. The modern iteration of a chatbot is not yet built to actually chat, at least, not in the sense that creates an interaction similar to one you'd have with a human. Sensay is built like a bot, appears to be just another random chatbot but instead runs off a human brain -- yours. Or someone else's.

The messaging platform, optimized for Kik, SMS, Slack, Facebook Messenger and Telegram (beta versions for Line, WeChat and Skype are also available) connects you anonymously with real humans to discuss whatever is on your mind. With the slow dehumanization of technology and in effect -- our lives -- Sensay seeks to take advantage of the look and feel of the chatbot technology while still keeping the human element alive and well. The bot asks some leading questions to determine your area(s) of expertise, whether it be television shows or helping people cope with life's problems. After that, it is only a matter of time before a connection is made.

Isn't that what we all seek in this life -- connections? With Sensay, those connections are out there. With a regular chatbot, responses are limited and lack the emotion that comes with chatting with an actual human. It's true we might find ourselves in a bleak future where the A.I. in chatbots has advanced to the point that we no longer seek human interaction. Until that point, we all like to hope that there is someone out there that we can talk to, someone that isn't a learning bot mining our deepest emotions for marketing information. Human connection is still a much more valuable resource than marketing data.

"Humans have a lot to offer each other, whether that is passed on through their experience, creativity or empathy," Ariel Jalali, co-founder and CEO at Sensay tells me via email. "Today it's easy to find information, but to create a connection is much more valuable and lasting. We, as human, have a deep need to connect with others and share our life experiences. Technically we’re more connected than ever, yet to some extent it is more difficult than it has ever been."

Social media especially has created a divide in the way we as humans interact with each other. Our noses in our phones, we stumble through the world rarely making eye contact. We ask Google instead of each other, we plan trips through text messages and maps instead of sitting in a room together. We keep our entire lives locked up on tiny computers in our pockets. We sometimes forget how to make actual human connections. This slow burning fire strongly affects those who already have trouble making connections, as more and more people they would make a connection with withdrawal into their machines.

Jalali continues, "I think a lot of people can relate with the feeling of being very distracted by social media and feeling more isolated than we have ever been. Some might call it the growing dehumanization of technology and that's a shame. So we had this idea to use technology to fix this problem."

While Sensay can't get people in the same room, it can get them talking. Sensay users are already chatting about a wide range of topics, from casual relationship advice, common interests like discovering new games and music to more serious life needs around jobs and financial planning. Sensay is tracking some of the interactions at Medium under the tag "awesomehumans".

Sensay is also troll and bully free. There is no crowd to entertain with aggressive responses. Back in October, National Bully Prevention Month, 500,000 Sensay users joined the NoBully tribe to combat bullying. The bot also filters out any illegal requests while moderation keeps the system clean of anyone using the bot for nefarious purposes. The goal is to create a massive system of connected humans, more than any social network, where a connection can be made on any subject as needed. The goal is to prove to the world that no-one is ever really alone. There is someone out there ready and willing to listen.

"We deeply believe that everyone is valuable and no one is alone; that is what this bot helps accomplish," says Jalali, who has broad hopes for the future of Sensay. "One bot for every human. Empowering even more humans to connect across the globe on the platforms they use every day. Sensay will allow you to conversationally download your experience and help you provide it at massive scale to anyone who needs it. All this while ensuring it belongs to you."

Sensay could remove the stigma associated with bots as being nothing but soulless robo-butlers. Ironically, it could become the go-to bot for conversation powered by humans instead of artificial intelligence. We spend our lives seeking human connection, whether we want to admit it or not. With Sensay, we are able to find and create those connections while still embracing the same type of technology that threatens to completely numb our humanity. It's a wonderful contradiction and a step forward in meshing our world of humanity with the future of chatbots.

Writing about consumer technology, social media and the deep layers of psychological torture endured by all of it. The world is changing, but that doesn't mean we can't be cynical about it. It's not all sunshine and roses in Silicon Valley. It's self loathing, pretentiousnes...